The Hill
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is warning that Russia may pursue a cyberattack against the U.S. as tensions escalate over Moscow's buildup of forces near the border with Ukraine.
The DHS bulletin, dated Sunday, outlined that Russia could launch such an attack if it perceived any U.S. or NATO response to be a threat to its own national security.
"We assess that Russia would consider initiating a cyber attack against the Homeland if it perceived a US or NATO response to a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine threatened its long-term national security," the agency said in the bulletin released to law enforcement partners and obtained by The Hill.
Russia has a number of cyber tools it could use to attack the U.S., ranging from “low-level denials-of-service to destructive attacks targeting critical infrastructure.” The bulletin says Russia “almost certainly considers cyber attacks an acceptable option to respond to adversaries” because it lacks the ability to respond with the economic and diplomatic options often preferred by other countries.
